"I played and I was crying" - Alex Ovechkin once opened up on the tragic demise of his brother Sergei

Washington Capitals left-winger Alex Ovechkin lost his biggest motivator in life, his elder brother Sergei, at the tender age of 10. The captain of the Capitals opened up about the tragedy which took away his brother in an interview with Graham Bensinger in 2015.

Sergei Ovechkin was just 24 when he succumbed to a blood clot stemming from a car accident. Alex Ovechkin's parents later maintained the steadfast support that Sergei had provided to his younger brothers before his tragic demise.

They made sure Alex Ovechkin played youth hockey despite the intense heartbreak of his brother’s loss.

Recalling his experience of sitting on the bench after his brother’s passing away, Alex Ovechkin said:

"It was hard, I was crying. I remember I was crying that day.”

Widely known as “The Great Eight” for his jersey number, further added:

"I was on the bench, I was crying. But [it was] my shift, my coach said, 'Okay, go play'. And I played and I was crying. It was hard but at 10 years old, you obviously [don’t] realize what’s happening. It was a hard moment for my mom and dad, for all my family because [the] oldest son passed away. It was a hard time."

With constant support from his parents, Alex Ovechkin eventually excelled on the ice with the realization of taking care of his parents along with his elder brother Mikhail. The NHL star reached the zenith of success by winning several accolades during his tenure with the Capitals.

Ovechkin also earned respect in the league after securing the third spot behind Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe for scoring 800 goals in the regular season. The 37-year-old NHL veteran also holds second place on the list of all-time goal-scorers, just after “The Great One” with 822 goals.

When Alex Ovechkin suggested a need for Toronto Maple Leafs to alter their playing style

Alex Ovechkin brought the Toronto Maple Leafs under the spotlight for a brief while in 2019. He provided the young, aspiring Maple Leafs with insightful advice in an effort to help them win the Stanley Cup.

Before their faceoff, Ovechkin suggested:

"For them, they're still a young group of guys, I hope they're going to learn, but it's up to them how they want to do it. If they want to play for themselves or if they want to win a Stanley Cup, they have to play differently."